The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-26


drops of hot water into it and bit of SUI
gar, and then she tinkled her glass against
mine, just as she'd seen us boys do when
we'd been drinking to good luck, and
says she:
"'Here's to the old brown jugP
"Sakes aliver I thought to myself
that poor Mollie had been drinking more
rum than was good for her, and tell you
it kinder cut me to the heart. I forgot
all about how many times she'd seen me
when my tongue was thicker than it
ought to be and my legs not so steady as
good legs should be; but said nothing.
drank the sentiment; The old brown
Jug and let it go.
"Well, went out after that and done
my chores and then went to bed, and the
last thing said before leaving the kitch-
en-, this very room where we are now,
was; Wen have the old brown jug filed
Tomorrow
"And then l went off to bed. And I
have remembered ever since that went
to bed that night as I had hundreds of
times before, with buzzing in my head
that healthy man ought not to have. I
didn't think of it then, nor had ever
thought of it before, but have thought
of it good many times since, and have
thought of it with wonder and awe.
swell, I got up the next morning and
did my work at the barn and then came
in and ate my breakfast, but with nc
such appetite as farmer ought to have
and could not think then that my ap-
petite had begun to fail. However, ate
my breakfast and went out and hitched
the old mare, for to tell the plain truth, ]
was feeling in need of "a glass of spirits
and hadn't drop in the house! was
in hurry to get to the village. I hitch
ed up and came in for the jug. I went
for it in the old cupboard and took it out
and
"Did you ever break through thin ice
on swapping cold day, and find your
self in an instant overhead in freezing
water9 Because that was the way fell
at that moment. The jug was there but
the bottom was gone. Mollie had taken q
sharp chisel and hammer, and with skill
that might have done credit to a master
workman, she had clipped the bottom
clean off the jug without even cracking
the edges of the sides. I looked at the
| jug and then she burst out. She spoke
Oh, had never heard anything like it.
She said i:
"'Charles, that's where the mortgage
on this farm came from 1t was brought
home within that iug-two quarts at a
time! And that's where your white clear
skin and clear pretty eyes are going And
in that jug, my hush and, your appetite ia
going also! Oh, let the bottom stay out
torever Let it be as it is, dear heart
And remember your promise to me-
"And then she threw her arms around
me and burst into tears. She could
speak no more.
"And there was no need. My eyes
were open as if by magic. In single
minute the whole scene passed before
me. I saw all the mortgages on the farms
in our neighborhood; and I thought
where the money had gone The very
last mortgage father had ever made was
to pay bill held against him by the man
who had filed his jug for years. Yes, I
saw it as it passed before me; flittering
picture of ruml ruml rum! debt! debt!
debt! and in the end, DEATH And I re-
turned my Mollie's kiss, and said I:
"'Mollie, my own, I'll keep the prom
isel will, so help me heavenp
"And I have kept it. In less than five
years, as Mollie had said, the mortgage
was cleared off; my appetite came back to
me: and now we've got few thousand dol
lars at interest. There hangs the dug;
just as we hung it on that day, and from
that time there hasn't been drop of
spirits brought into the house for bev-
erage, which that bottomless jug wouldn't
hold.
"Dear old iugl We mean to keep it and
hand it down to our children for the les
son it can give to them; lesson of life,
of happy life, peaceful, prosperous and
blessedP'
And as he ceased speaking, his wife,
with her arm drawn tenderly around the
neck of her youngest boy, murmured a
fervent amen.